Morning Show Blog

Country music's biggest stars won't be coming to Las Vegas this year for theâ¯Academy of Country Music Awards,â¯but they will be returning to Sin City for the second annual Route 91 Harvest Festival this fall.â¯ The three-day, two-stage festival will take place on October 2 – 4 and will be held at MGM Resorts Village, which is located at the South end of the Las Vegas Strip. This year's festival will be headlined byâ¯Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellumâ¯andâ¯Jake Owen, with more expected to join soon. More than 20,000 country music fans flocked to Route 91 Harvest Festival for its inaugural year in 2014.

Rascal Flattsâ¯have kicked off their Las Vegas residency at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and they're looking to some of Sin City's finest for inspiration for their show.â¯Jay DeMarcussays, "We might add some illusion. We might also borrow some stuff fromâ¯Carrot Top. We've been in talks with the Cirque du Soleil producers, so expect skimpy costumes, acrobats and a trapeze." The residency will run through March 14 and will feature special guestâ¯Craig Wayne Boydâ¯as the opening act.

Christina Aguileraâ¯returned to NBC'sâ¯The Voiceâ¯last week after being gone for two seasons. She may have been gone for a while, but Aguilera has a secret weapon this season to help her steal country singers from the coach with four wins,â¯Blake Shelton. Christina is set to appear on a multi-episode arc of ABC'sâ¯Nashvilleâ¯this year, and she hopes that her time on the show will help convinceâ¯Voiceâ¯contestants to choose her team. The upcoming season ofâ¯Nashvilleâ¯will feature Christina playing a pop superstar who wants to record a country album.

Whenâ¯FAITH HILLâ¯posted anâ¯Instagramâ¯days before the Oscars all anyone could talk about was her super short haircut.â¯ But when more photos surfaced people also noticed she had a scar on her neck.Well, a source toldâ¯"People"â¯it's from surgery she had back in January to clean up damage from an injury she suffered a couple of years ago. â¯It's not known what kind of injury we're talking about, or how it happened.The procedure is called "anterior cervical discectomy and fusion", or ACDF . . . and according toâ¯"People", it's generally used to relieve pain from a herniated disc.â¯This was actually the second operation to treat the same issue.â¯ The first one was on the back of her neck in 2011.â¯ As far as the longterm effects of the injury, the source also said she's doing physical therapy and her recovery is going well.Although Faith isn't talking about this yet, she's definitely NOT hiding the scar.â¯ She recently posted a photo onTwitterâ¯where you can see it very clearly.

As we reported yesterday,â¯Dierks Bentleyâ¯and his band came out as the 1990's bandâ¯Hot Country Knights on Wednesday night and was joined by several friends on stage and one in particular named Shelby Shelton (Miranda Lambert) coveredâ¯Shania Twain's "Who's Bed Have Your Boots Been Under" and the video is all over the web. Well, last night Twain herself saw it and loved it. She tweeted, Love this! Miranda & Dierks covering #WhoseBedHaveYourBootsBeenUnder! #HotCountryKnights. You can see the videoâ¯here. Other performances of note includedâ¯Randy Houser, a.k.a. "Dallas Houston," who channeledâ¯Blake Sheltonâ¯circa the late '90s andâ¯Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelleyâ¯who donned a new wig as "Ronnie Buns" and sangâ¯Brooks & Dunn'sâ¯"My Maria."

The Grand Ole Opry House, home of the Opry since the venue opened in 1974, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Regarded as the home of country music, the world-famous venue was recognized because of its impact on popular culture and the entertainment industry.

It seems thatâ¯Luke Bryanâ¯has a little competition from one of his fellow artists, but it's not about getting his songs played on the radio. During a recent episode ofâ¯Slacker.com'sâ¯"I Am the DJ" series, Luke admits that his son's favorite song isn't his. Bryan said, "My son's favorite song is 'Pirate Flag' byâ¯Kenny Chesney. He always wants Caroline and I to play that when we get in the car. So there you go, Kenny. You've trumped dad because my son likes 'Pirate Flag' better than me." Both Luke and Kenny will hit the road this summer on their massive tours that include several stadium dates.

Wynonnaâ¯got in a pickle the other night and tweeted about it when her tour bus caught fire. She tweeted, "So grateful that my Mamaw taught me how to be thankful IN all things (I'm certainly not thankful for the WHAT has just happened.... Bus generator just caught on fire. Thankfully: We weren’t in the bus while traveling to a show. We are all ok, that no one is hurt."

Garth Brookshas broken his ticket sales record in Sacramento, California. The Garth Brooks World Tour withTrisha Yearwoodhas sold more than 84,000 tickets for his upcoming Sacramento shows, breaking his previous record of 78,620 tickets sold back in August of 1997. Garth and Trisha will hit the Golden State's capital city for two concerts on March 27 and 28 at Sleep Train Arena. The concerts are just the latest dates added to Garth's comeback world tour which has been setting ticket sales records across the country. Brooks' world tour is in support of his latest album,Man Against Machine, which is his first new studio album in 13 years.

Willie Nelsonis one of the most iconic musicians ever to grace the stage, but the singer has also had a very prolific acting career. Some of his most notable films includeThe Electric Horseman,Honeysuckle Rose,BarbarosaandStagecoach, and the singer has another one on the way. According toRolling Stone Country, Nelson is set to star in a new fantasy adventure film titledWaiting for the Miracle to Come. The film centers on a young girl, played bySophie Lowe, who finds a letter from her late father that guides her to a goldmine in a sparsely populated area of the California desert. When she gets there, the girl meets two retired vaudeville performers, played by Nelson and British actressCharlotte Rampling, who teach her that there are things in life far more precious that gold.Production for the film will start in March, but there is no word yet on when the film is set to be released.

Jason Aldeanfaced a lot of scrutiny after he was caught kissing his now fiancéeBrittany Kerrin 2012 while he was still married to his first wifeJessica Ussery. But Jason is ready to put all of his focus on the good things in his life; not the bad. Aldean tellsThe Tennessean, "I'm looking forward to 2015 for a lot of that stuff to settle down and to focus on what I need to be focusing on, which is my career and my relationship." And, Aldean hopes that all of that drama will just be a thing of the past. While there were some who criticized Aldean for getting with Kerr after his divorce was finalized, Jason says most people don't look at their relationship in a negative light. Jason says, "I think that people see it is something real and legitimate. It wasn't some random crazy thing.”

But there's alsoTOBY KEITH'Santi-terrorist anthem"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (the Angry American)". . . and theJUSTIN TOWNES EARLEsong"Someone Will Pay", which calls out absentee fathers. Here's the list:

Eric Churchâ¯and his wife,â¯Katherine,â¯have exciting news! The couple welcomed their second son,â¯Tennessee Hawkins Church, on Sunday, February 15. Tennessee came into the world weighing 6 lbs. and 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. The new bundle of joy joins older brotherâ¯Boone McCoy, who is three-years-old. The couple says they plan on calling him Hawk for short. Church says in a statement, "I'm thrilled that Hawk and his mom are doing well. We aren't sleeping very much, but we are enjoying every part of this incredible journey.â¯ I'm very blessed and thankful."

It's been a while now since Taylor Swift said goodbye to country music and she's setting the pop world on fire as herâ¯1989â¯album recently set a record for being on top of the album charts longer than any other album. Even though it seems like she's gone forever, Dustin Lynch has a theory about what will happen to Taylor in her musical future: (Audio Clip)

As we reported earlier, a musician by the nameâ¯Blazeâ¯recently wrote and recorded a song about how cool it would be to jam withâ¯Brad Paisley. The music video of the song eventually went viral on YouTube and made its way all the way to Paisley, who took to Twitter last month to say that he would indeed jam with the young musician. Now it seems that the musicians have worked out the details of their impending jam session. According to theâ¯Springfield News-Leader, Blaze received word on Monday that Brad has invited him to come jam with him onstage on March 5 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The two will team up during a sound check of Paisley's new song, "Crushin' It" before Paisley takes the stage for a show at the Colorado Springs World Arena that night. Blaze tells the publication, "I don't normally get stage fright but I guess there is a first time for everything.”

Chris Youngâ¯has announced the date and location for his 14th Annual Fan Club Party. The annual party will take place at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on June 10 at 9:30 AM local time. Current and new fan club members will be exclusively treated to a live performance by Young, followed by a meet & greet with photo opportunity and a guided Opry backstage tour. The tickets for party are $50 and will go on sale Monday, February 23 at ChrisYoungCountry.com. The fan club party takes place during the week of this year's CMA Music Fest, which runs June 11-14 in downtown Nashville.

Jason Aldean â¯has announced that his 10th Annual "Concert For The Cure" will be held at his Coral Sky Amphitheatre tour stop in West Palm Beach, Florida on October 24. Aldean will donate a portion of ticket sales made throughout the year on his "2015 Burn It Down Tour" to Susan G. Komen South Florida to support the West Palm Beach Area. This year, Aldean will also honor two brave cancer survivors at each of his shows nominated through fan submissions. Those chosen will win VIP access and the opportunity to meet Jason.Additionally, Google Play is now offering Jason's album Oldâ¯Boots, New Dirtâ¯as the "Free Album of the Week" from February 17 – 24. As part of the promotion, Jason will donate $1 for every complete album downloaded on Google Play to this year's "Concert For The Cure."â¯

Trisha Yearwoodâ¯has sold millions of records as a country star and has become a New York Times Bestselling cookbook author and host on a Food Network show, but now the singer is expanding her reach even further. Yearwood has announced a partnership with Klaussner Home Furnishings to introduce the singer's first home collection. "The Trisha Yearwood Home Collection" will make its debut in April at the International Home Furnishings show in High Point, North Carolina. The collection will include pieces for the whole home. Trisha is currently on the road with her husbandâ¯Garth Brooksâ¯on his huge world tour and is also set to release her third cookbook,â¯Trisha's Table: My Feel-Good Favorites For A Balanced Lifeâ¯on March 31.

Kristian Bushâ¯will be the featured musical guest on TBS'â¯Conanâ¯tonight (2/18), where he'll perform his current Top 20 single "Trailer Hitch." The song is the lead single from his debut solo album,â¯Southern Gravity, which will be released on April 7. The new album marks Kristian's first studio release since he andâ¯Jennifer Nettlesâ¯took a hiatus fromâ¯Sugarlandâ¯to record solo projects. The episode ofâ¯Conanâ¯featuring Bush will air tonight at 11 PM ET on TBS. Bush is also set to kick off his "Put Your Soul In It Tour" next week, beginning with appearances in Nashville at The Bluebird Cafe on February 26 and the Grand Ole Opry on March 6. He will then overseas for select tour stops in Australia.

Lady Antebellum is packing and getting ready to head overseas for the unofficial kickoff of their "Wheels Up Tour" which launches February 28 in Oslo, Norway, followed by shows in Sweden, Ireland, Scotland and London, before heading Down Under to Australia March 13. The European leg will feature openers Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert and Kip Moore.